Projectile.



No.-728,012- I PATENTEDMAY12,1903.

M. 0. REGAN.

I PROJEGTILE.

v A'PPLIOATION FILED JULY 21. 1902. NO MODEL. l 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 fivefii-or THE-hams PETER5 co. PHOTC-LITHD" WASHINGTON, n. c

. UNITED STATES Tatented may 12, 1903.

PATENT FFICE.

MICHAEL O. REGAN, OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY, ASSIGNOR OF SEVEN- TENTHSTO WILLIAM H. GANNETT, OE AUGUSTA, MAINE, AND WILLARD H. GILMAN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

PROJQECTILE.

SFECIFICATION formiilg part of Letters Patent N 0. 728,012, dated May 12, 1903.

. Application filed July 21, 1902. Serial No. 116,371. (No model.)

To all whont it nearly concern:

, Beit known that I, MICHAEL G. REGAN, of the United States Army, stationed at Fort Revere, in the town of Hull, in the county of 5 Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Projectiles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object'to provide an explosive projectile comprising a pluralityof separable sections adapted to be separated during the flight of the projectile and to fall at difierent distances from the point of discharge.

I The invention consists in the improvements I hereinafter described and claimed.

0f the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a longitudinal central section of a projectile 2o embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the projectile. Fig. 3 represents an end view showing the outer or primary section of the projectile, the inner sections being removed. Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and

9 represent perspective views of the parts of the projectile.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings,'a represents the outer or primary section of my improved projectile,

the same being madein the form of a cylindrical shell which is open at one end and has a head a at the opposite end and a partition a between the head a and the open end of 3 5 the shell. Said partition has a screw-threaded opening, into which is screwed a plug (1 which forms a part of the wall of a powder-' chamber at. Said chamber is adapted to contain a charge of powder or other explosive 40 suflicient to explode the section a. b represents another section of the projectile, which I term the secondary section. The shown form of this section is similar to that of the primary section-that is to say, its outer end is open, while its inner end is formed by a head b,'a partition 12 being provided which is closed by a screw-plug 12 said plug forming part of the wall of a powder-chamber 1), adapted to contain a charge of powder sufficient to explode the section b.

0 represents an additional section which is formed to be inserted in the'open end of the section 0 and has a closed outer end, which is preferably conical, the section 0 having a powder-chamber 0 adapted to contain a charge of powder sufficient to explode the section 0.

61 represents an intermediate chamber intel-posed between the plug a of the primary section and the head 19 of the secondary sec tion. d represents another intermediate chamber interposed between the plug 6 of the secondary section b and the inner end of the outer section 0. The intermediate chamber dis adapted to contain a charge of pow- 65 der sufficient to cause by its explosion the separation of the section b from the section a and to give the section a a backward impulse while giving the section b a forward impulse. The intermediate chamber d is adapted to contain a charge of powder sufficient by its explosion to separate the section a from the section 1), giving the section b a backward impulse and the section 0 a forward impulse.

Means are provided for successively igniting the charges of powder in the several chambers after the projectile has been discharged from the'gun, the charges being explodedin thefollowing order: first,the charge in the intermediate chamber (1; second, the

charge in the chamber a of the primary projectile; third, the charge in the intermediate chamber 01; fourth, the charge in the chamber b of the secondary projectile, and, fifth, the charge in the chamber a of the projectile ,0. The explosion of the charge in the first intermediate chamber 01 causes'the separation of the secondary projectileb from the primary projectile, the former carrying with 0 it the outer projectile c. A backwardimpulse is given to the primary projectile and an additionalforward impulse to the secondary projectile. The charge of powder in the chamber a of the primary projectile is ig- 5 nited at a later period by the ignition of the charge in the intermediate chamber d, so that the primary section is exploded after its separation from the secondary projectile. After the secondary projectile b has advanced a I00 predetermined distance the charge in the intermediate chamber (1 is ignited, causing the separation of the projectile c from the projectile b, the former being given a forward and the latter a backward impulse, after which the charge in the chamber 12 of the secondary section is ignited, causing the explosion of said projectile. The outer projectile c continues its forward flight, and after a predetermined length of time it is exploded by the ignition of the charge in the chamber 0.

The means by which the charges are exploded successively, as above stated, are as follows:

f represents the time-fuse, which is contained in a brass tubef, inserted in an orifice formed in the head of the primary section a and in a sleeve a, formed on said head and extending through the chamber a and into the plug a g 9 represent time-fuses extending from the intermediate chamber d into the chamber a of the primary section, said fuses being contained in brass tubes g g, inserted in orifices formed for their reception in the plug a It represents a time-fuse extending through a tube 72, and a sleeve h from the intermediate chamber d to the intermediate chamber d.

i 2' represent time-fuses extending from the intermediate chamber d to the chamber b of the secondary section, said fuses 11 being con tained in tubes 2', inserted in the plug b j represents a time-fuse extending from the intermediate chamber d through a tube j, inserted in the inner end of the outer section 0, the fusej entering the powder-chamber of said outer section.

It will be seen that when the projectile as a whole is discharged from a gun the timefusefis ignited and that after the projectile has traveled a given distance the fuse f will ignite the charge in the intermediate chamber d. The ignition of this charge besides separating the sections a and b ignites the fuses g g, causing the explosion of the charge in the chamber a After the separation of the sections a and b the latter, carrying the outer section 0, continues its forward movement until the burning of the fuse h ignites the charge in the intermediate chamber d, whereupon the sections 1) and c are separated, as above stated, the fuses z' i being at the same time ignited. Section I) therefore falls and is exploded during its descent, the section 0 continuing in its forward movement until exploded by the ignition of its charge by means of the fusej.

The intermediate chambers d and d are formed by coinciding cavities provided in the plugs a and I)" and the inner ends or heads of the sections 1) and c, said chambers being preferably of the form shown in Fig. 1. The charges of powder in the intermediate chambers are preferably contained in sheet-metal capsules it, formed to fit the walls of said chambers. The tubes containing the timefuses are formed to project into the intermediate chambers, their projecting ends being preferably of a tapering orconical form. The capsules are provided with orifices formed and arranged to receive the projecting portions of the tubes. The said orifices are preferably formed by cutting slits in the walls of the capsules, the slits forming V- shaped tongues which are normally in position to prevent the escape of powder from the capsule, the tongues being adapted to be bent inwardly by the projecting conical portions of the fuse-tubes when the parts are assembled, so that the ends of the fuse-tubes project into the capsule, as shown in Fig. 1.

The internal surface of the section a, the external and internal surfaces of section b, and the external surface of the section 0 are preferably rifled, as indicated in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, the twist of the riding-grooves being relatively slight, the twist including only about one-fourth of an inch on the periphery of each rifled surface.

712 represents a copper band which encircles the section a, near its inner end.

Among the advantages of this improved shell may be mentioned the following: First, it is particularly adapted for use as a range- [inding shell owing to the fact that its sections drop at different points during the flight of the shell, the distance at which each section is exploded being determined by the length of the fuses; secondly, the separation of the shell into sections which are exploded at different points, greatly increasing the effectiveness of the shell, it being well known that the explosion of several small shells at difierent points is liable to be more destructive than the explosion of asingle largershell; thirdly, the sectional construction and the provisions for separating the sections at different points in the flight of the shell and for giving each an additional forward impulse enable the outer section to be thrown to a great distance with a relatively small expenditure of powder.

There are many other features of advantage; but the above-stated are deemed to be sufiicient for the present purposes.

I claim- 1. A projectile comprising a plurality of nested sections each having a powder-chamber, one or more intermediate powder-chambers interposed between the sections, and means for successively igniting the charges in all of said powder-chambers in the order specified.

2. A projectile comprising a primary section formed as a shell open at its outer end, and having a powder-chamber at its inner end, a secondary section removably inserted in the primary section, an intermediate powder-chamber interposed between the two sections, and means for successively igniting the charges in the said chambers in the order specified.

3. A projectile comprising a primary section formed as a shell open at its outer end,

der-chamber interposed between the two sections, a time-fuse extending from the exte rior of the primary section to the intermediate chamber, and a time-fuse extending from the intermediate chamberto the chamber of the primary section.

4:. A projectile comprising a primary section formed as a shell open at its outer-end,. and having a powder-chamber atits inner end, a secondary section removably inserted in the primary section, and having a powderchamber, an intermediate powder-chamber interposed between the two sections, a timefuse extending from the exterior of the primary section to the intermediate chamber, a time-fuse extending from the intermediate chamber to the chamber of the primary section, and a time-fuse extending from the in termediate chamber to thevcharnber of the secondary section.

5. A projectile comprising a plurality of nested sections the inner section having a powder-chamber, an intermediate powderchamber, interposed between the sections, a powder-holding capsule in said intermediate chamber, a fuse-holding tube affixed to theinner section,said tube projecting into the intermediate chamber and entering a perforation formed in the capsule, and a time-fuse extending through said tube.

6. A projectile comprising first a primary section open atits outer end and having a powder chamber at its inner end, and a screw-threaded plug forming apart of the wall of said chamber, said plug having a cav ity in its outer face and fuse-holding tubes projecting into said cavity, the primary section having also a sleeveextending through the powder-chamber to said plug, and a fuseholding tube located within said sleeve and projecting into said cavity, secondly, a secondary section removably inserted in the primary section and having a cavity in its inner end coinciding with the cavity in said plug, anda fuse-holding tube projecting into said cavity, and thirdly, a capsule inserted in said coinciding cavities and having openings arranged to receive the-projecting ends of said fuse-holding tubes. 7 1

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MICHAEL O. REGAN.

Witnesses: V

O. F. BROWN, E. BATCHEIIDER. 

